shipping agent
Shipping agents represent the ship owner in a foreign port. They make sure customs is cleared in a timely manner so that the cargo doesn't have to stay too long in the port. Shipping agents also ensure that insurance, licences and other formalities are in order.
shipping agent shipping agents represent the ship owner in a foreign port. They make sure customs is cleared in a timely manner so that the cargo doesn't have to stay too long in the port. The role shows moderate AI exposure (0.50 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include import export regulations of dangerous chemicals, international business, international taxation of transfer prices, illegal substances, international import export regulations.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £34,757 a year for Importers and exporters (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 3542). ONS publishes this estimate without a precision measure. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Technicians and associate professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only shipping agent, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 3. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Law and Government
- Public Safety and Security
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Psychology
- Administrative
- Computers and Electronics
- Geography
What you'd actually do
- Examine immigration applications, visas, and passports and interview persons to determine eligibility for admission, residence, and travel in the U.S.
- Detain persons found to be in violation of customs or immigration laws and arrange for legal action, such as deportation.
- Inspect cargo, baggage, and personal articles entering or leaving U.S. for compliance with revenue laws and U.S. customs regulations.
- Locate and seize contraband, undeclared merchandise, and vehicles, aircraft, or boats that contain such merchandise.
- Interpret and explain laws and regulations to travelers, prospective immigrants, shippers, and manufacturers.
- Institute civil and criminal prosecutions and cooperate with other law enforcement agencies in the investigation and prosecution of those in violation of immigration or customs laws.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does shipping agent do?
Shipping agents represent the ship owner in a foreign port. They make sure customs is cleared in a timely manner so that the cargo doesn't have to stay too long in the port. Shipping agents also ensure that insurance, licences and other formalities are in order.
What skills does shipping agent need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include import export regulations of dangerous chemicals, international business, international taxation of transfer prices, illegal substances, international import export regulations, tax legislation. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace shipping agent?
Our AI-durability model gives shipping agent a score of 0.50 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.